Physico-chemical Hazards Research Articles

Physicochemical hazard assessment of ash and dome rock from the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière, St Vincent, for the assessment of respiratory health impacts and water contamination

Abstract La Soufrière, St Vincent, began an extrusive eruption on 27 December 2020. The lava dome was destroyed, along with much of the pre-existing 1979 dome, in explosive eruptions from 9 to 22 April 2021. Lava domes generate crystalline silica – inhalation of which can cause silicosis in occupational settings – which can become hazardous when dome material is incorporated into volcanic ash. La Soufrière ash (17 samples) was analysed, according to IVHHN protocols, to rapidly quantify crystalline silica and test for other health-relevant properties. The basaltic andesitic ash contained <5 wt% crystalline silica, which agrees with previous analyses of ash of similar compositions and mirrors the low quantities measured in dome samples (2 area %). It contained substantial inhalable material (7–21 vol% <10 µm). Few fibre-like particles were observed, reducing concern about particle shape. Leaching assays found low concentrations of potentially toxic elements, which indicates low potential to impact health, contaminate drinking-water sources or harm grazing animals through ingestion. Collectively, these data indicate that the primary health concern from this eruption was the potential for fine-grained ash to increase ambient particulate matter, an environmental risk factor for respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Precautionary measures were advised to minimize exposure.

Food processing can save lives: how bioactive compounds defy oversimplification

In many instances, the term processed foods is used interchangeably with ultra-processed foods (UPF), which may lead to the former group being mistakenly perceived as unhealthy. In reality, the term food processing encompasses a range of treatments and operations aimed at ensuring food safety, preservation, and availability. Bioactive compounds found in raw foods can be used to examine the complex nature of processing. Factors such as processing type (e.g., thermal treatments, non-conventional processes) and operational conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure) significantly affect the final product and can either increase the levels and bioavailability of bioactives or diminish their concentration leading to reduced functional properties. Criticism directed toward UPFs should not overshadow the boundaries separating them from healthy and nutritive processed foods. Food processing continues to be a tool to produce foods that are stable and free from microbiological and physicochemical hazards, ensuring their availability in underserved areas of the world.

Analysis of Health Risk Factors in the Vegetable Production Chain in the City of N'Djamena-Chad

Several market gardeners have settled in the city and supply urban markets with fresh vegetables throughout the year. Despite their nutritional importance, market gardening products may carry health risks. The objective of this study is to identify and analyse the potential risk factors that could lead to the appearance of microbiological and physicochemical hazards in the production chain of fresh vegetables from these market gardening operations. The work was carried out in 5 permanent market gardening sites in the city of N'Djamena (Chad, Africa) and involved 96 market gardeners surveyed. Data related to production methods were collected. Standard methods were used to carry out microbiological analysis tests on 15 samples of vegetables and fruits taken from 3 sites.The results of the survey show that urban market gardening in N'Djamena is dominated by two plant species: lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and rocket (Eruca sativa). It is geared towards the production of leafy vegetables. The health risks associated with the conditions of production are numerous and real: the proximity of roads, the use of dirty water for irrigation, the overdose of chemical fertilizers (urea) and pesticides, and finally the unhygienic harvesting and transport. The high-water content of fresh vegetables and the lack of processes for the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms also do not guarantee the sanitary quality of the vegetables produced and can thus increase the risk of foodborne infections. The results of the microbiological evaluation showed the presence of germs pathogens including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas spp. and Salmonella sp. in vegetable and fruit. Therefore, the best strategy to obtain a healthy product is to educate producers on good agricultural practices including reasoned fertilization, clean water, treated wastewater, approved pesticides.

English

English

단순가공 어류 수산물 제조 공정 중의 식품학적 위해요소 분석

This study analyzed the food safety in processing process of simple-processed fishery products. A total of 88 samples analyzed for the presence of pathogenic bacteria and physicochemical hazards. No major foodborne pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella sp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7, were detected in any of the samples. However, Bacillus cereus (12 samples, 13.6%) and Staphylococcus aureus (15 samples, 17.0%) were frequently detected in both the intermediate processing stages and the final products, although cell populations were not high. Very small amounts of heavy metals and histamine were detected in some samples, in quantities that did not exceed the safe guidelines according to Korean Government regulations. Similarly, no other physical hazards such as foreign material were observed in any of the samples. We concluded that there are no significant pathogenic bacteria or physicochemical food hazards in simply processed fish products from Korea. The present study strongly suggests that increased food sanitation measures should be implemented to decrease the prevalence of S. aureus in simple-processed fishery products.

Microbiological and Physicochemical Hazard Analysis in Processing Process of Simple-Processed Shellfish Products

Microbiological and Physicochemical Hazard Analysis in Processing Process of Simple-Processed Shellfish Products

How to use QSPR‐type approaches to predict properties in the context of Green Chemistry

AbstractGreen Chemistry is an active field of chemical research in which the ultimate targets are to promote high‐value, safe, clean products from renewable resources using inherently safer and clean processes. Until recently, the main efforts focused on the production of chemicals based on renewable resources by cleaner processes, notably by eliminating or substituting solvents.Quantitative Structure‐Property Relationships (QSPR) offer the opportunity to also take into account safety issues (in particular fire and explosion risks) in the early steps of development of chemicals and processes in the context of Green Chemistry. Based on robust methods for their development and validation, these predictive approaches allow access to the properties of substances based only on the knowledge of their molecular structures, even before their synthesis. QSPR models have been developed for various kinds of properties, including physico‐chemical hazards, for diverse families of compounds.They can be used as virtual screening tools to identify the best candidate among a series of possible compounds (within databases of products) for a target application and even in computer‐aided molecular design to propose alternative molecular structures, for instance for substitution purposes. So they represent very relevant tools to take into account the physico‐chemical hazards of substances together with targeted functional properties from the early stages of R&D projects toward safe‐by‐design “green” products and processes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Use of Higher Ethylene Generating Fruits for Ripening as an Alternative to Ethylene

Every fruit has its own best eating quality upon natural ripening. But not all fruits are allowed to ripen on the plant. Ripe fruits cannot withstand the postharvest handling system when shipped long distance. They are likely to become soft and mealy with insipid flavour after traveling long. Climacteric fruits are often picked at the maturity stage so that they can withstand the postharvest handling hazards. Likewise to ripen them, ethylene gas is generally used. In most of the countries calcium carbide is used as a source of acetylene (alternative to ethylene) for ripening. However it has been banned in many countries including Nepal. And for those who produce organic fruits, natural ripening can bring a physico-chemical hazard during postharvest handling. Ripe climacteric fruits produce ethylene gas in amounts higher than the threshold level required to induce the ripening process of such fruits. So as a solution to the above problem, ripe fruits can be taken to ripen the mature climacteric fruits. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jfstn.v8i0.11757 J. Food Sci. Technol. Nepal, Vol. 8 (84-86), 2013

An innovative experimental approach aiming to understand and quantify the actual fire hazards of ionic liquids

The aim of the study is to provide advanced knowledge on the thermal and combustion hazard profiles of ionic liquids based on an original multiscale combined experimental approach. Experimental tools have been implemented and used to (a) obtain actual measurements of theoretical heats of combustion of imidazolium-based and phosphonium-based ionic liquids by use of a bomb calorimeter; (b) provide access to fundamental flammability properties of these chemicals through the use of Pyrolysis Combustion Flow Calorimeter; and (c) determine actual behaviour of ionic liquids in fire conditions, from learnings obtained by a series of combustion tests performed on 12 ionic liquids by use of the INERIS Fire Propagation Apparatus. Results so far confirm that the combustibility potential as well as the fire behaviour must be assessed on a case by case approach and is often dictated by the chemical structure of ionic liquids. The study also illustrates how the data obtained by our innovative procedure allow for consistent fire safety engineering studies serving the green use of ionic liquids in a contextual way. The work has opened a new perspective of collaborative work towards the development of a dedicated and pertinent methodology aiming at characterizing the comprehensive physicochemical hazard profiles of ionic liquids.

ChemInform Abstract: Revisiting Physico‐Chemical Hazards of Ionic Liquids

AbstractReview: 49 refs.

Revisiting physico-chemical hazards of ionic liquids

This paper is a consolidated overview of what was originally presented by the co-authors at the ILSEPT 2011 conference regarding physico-chemical safety issues pertaining to ionic liquids (ILs). Indeed safety performance of ILs relating to physico-chemical hazards is very rarely investigated as it is often perceived as a non existing issue due to the lack of traditional flashpoint for these liquids. The paper outlines: (a) why it is justified to have a detailed look of physico-chemical properties of ILs in the context of separation and purification technologies, (b) sort out misleading from true general statements regarding actual safety, (c) discuss physico-chemical hazard rating systems and their limitation in the context of overall risk evaluation, and (d) report on the early findings of a joint initiative regarding the development of predictive tools for heats of combustion for ILs and experimental results obtained by use of the pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC) on the effective rate of heat release from ILs in fire conditions. Finally, perspectives regarding future work with regard to better knowledge and assessment of ILs physico-chemical related issues are given with the aim of serving sustainable design and use of ILs.

A knowledge-based fuzzy expert system to analyse degraded terrain

The quality of a site investigation campaign stands and falls with the quality of the preparatory desk study. This article presents a fuzzy expert system that improves conventional desk studies. The evaluation process is referred to as a “multi-temporal desk study” (MTDS) and is similar to the conventional approach, falling back on existing maps, building permits, production data and aerial photos. As backward-looking appraisal it documents the spatio-functional and temporal changes of degraded terrain with regard to physico-chemical hazards present in the form of soil and groundwater contamination. The fuzzy approach differs from the conventional desk study in that it incorporates the semiotic-interpretative character of a MTDS in a rigid mathematical framework that is based on fuzzy set theory. By doing so, the interpretative grey zone inherent to all hazard assessments becomes more transparent and – above all – is not lost or forced into a inflexible “yes–no” or “1/0” scheme. The fuzzy expert system (FES) increases the quality of the desk study and reduces the costs for field campaigning, lab analyses and remediation work. The validity of the approach was confirmed by comparing a hazard map for a degraded harbour terrain produced by means of the FES with a hazard map reflecting ground truth based on a traditional field campaign. For the fuzzy analysis the only source of information were official building permits and aerial photographs taken at different time steps.

Role of radiology in occupational medicine.

This review discusses the contribution of radiology to occupational medicine as well as work-related problems in radiology departments. Research issues are emphasized. Radiology has been used especially when diagnosing occupational respiratory and locomotive system problems and solvent-induced encephalo- and hepatopathy. The aim of research in these areas is usually to characterize occupational diseases and to identify physico-chemical hazards in the work place by comparing between groups of workers and non-exposed controls. Radiological imaging allows an objective characterization of the disease, and it may clarify the pathogenesis of the process and provide a useful epidemiological tool. Advanced statistical methods are often needed to adjust analyses for confounding variables. As the diagnostic requirements are increasing, more sensitive and sophisticated radiological methods, such as high-resolution computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, may be required for the early recognition of occupational health risks. This necessitates good cooperation between occupational health units and well-equipped imaging departments. Considering occupational problems in radiology departments, the increasing use of digital radiology requires ergonomic measures to control and prevent locomotive problems caused by work with computers. Radiation protection measures are still worth concern, especially in interventional radiology.

The urban environment and health in a world of increasing globalization: issues for developing countries.

Urban living is the keystone of modern human ecology. Cities have multiplied and expanded rapidly worldwide over the past two centuries. Cities are sources of creativity and technology, and they are the engines for economic growth. However, they are also sources of poverty, inequality, and health hazards from the environment. Urban populations have long been incubators and gateways for infectious diseases. The early industrializing period of unplanned growth and laissez-faire economic activity in cities in industrialized countries has been superseded by the rise of collective management of the urban environment. This occurred in response to environmental blight, increasing literacy, the development of democratic government, and the collective accrual of wealth. In many low-income countries, this process is being slowed by the pressures and priorities of economic globalization. Beyond the traditional risks of diarrhoeal disease and respiratory infections in the urban poor and the adaptation of various vector-borne infections to urbanization, the urban environment poses various physicochemical hazards. These include exposure to lead, air pollution, traffic hazards, and the "urban heat island" amplification of heatwaves. As the number of urban consumers and their material expectations rise and as the use of fossil fuels increases, cities contribute to the large-scale pressures on the biosphere including climate change. We must develop policies that ameliorate the existing, and usually unequally distributed, urban environmental health hazards and larger-scale environmental problems.

Issues in environmental epidemiological research: the example of environmental lead and health.

Modern environmental epidemiology encompasses the "traditional" area of physico-chemical hazards, along with health hazards in the societal environment (e.g. noise, stress, social organisation), and, increasingly, supranational problems (e.g. ozone depletion, global warming). As governments undertake environmental management, improved quantitative estimates of environmental risks to health are needed. Methodological difficulties of environmental epidemiological research include problems of exposure measurement, of estimating exposure at the level of the individual, and of detecting relatively small effects (particularly at low exposure levels). The health hazards of occupational lead exposure are well documented. The health hazards of environmental exposure to lead, within the general population, remain a focus of continuing epidemiological research. Indeed, the reported adverse effects upon the developing central nervous system of young children are now central to public health debate about environmental lead exposure standards. Recent evidence from cohort studies in several countries indicates adverse effects of environmental lead exposure upon early childhood mental development. In South Australia, a cohort study of children born in a lead smelter community, Port Pirie, has revealed evidence of such an effect. After controlling for many potential confounding factors (social, behavioural, family, and medical), cumulative postnatal lead exposure was found to be weakly associated with an adverse effect upon mental development at age two years and, more strongly, at age four years. The relations between environmental epidemiological research and public health policy are discussed.